Kashmir: Shutdown in Valley on Afzal Guru’s death anniversary

The Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) comprising Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik had called for a complete shutdown on February 9 and 11 to mark the hanging anniversaries of Afzal Guru and Maqbool Butt, respectively.

Kashmir valley on Saturday observed a complete shutdown on the sixth death anniversary of the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. The Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) comprising Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik had called for a complete shutdown on February 9 and 11 to mark the hanging anniversaries of Afzal Guru and Maqbool Butt, respectively.

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On Saturday, while business units and shops remained shut in almost all districts of the Valley, public transport also remained off the road. A senior police official said that they had deployed security forces in Srinagar and Baramulla districts.

“No untoward incident was reported from any part of valley. We are hopeful that Monday will also pass peacefully,” said a senior police
official.

Officials said that restrictions were imposed in parts of Srinagar, as a precautionary measure and to maintain law and order situation.
Ahead of Afzal’s anniversary, Hurriyat Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was put under house arrest on Friday. “As Martyrdom anniversaries of #ShaheedAfzalGuru and #ShaheedMaqboolBhat are being observed on 9th and 11 Feb. authorities have started crackdown on resistance leaders and activists, I have been just put placed under #HouseArrest,” Umar said on Friday.

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Afzal was hanged on Februray 9, 2013 in New Delhi’s Tihar Jail.

In another tweet, Umar said, “#Kashmir today remembers and pays rich tributes to #ShaheedAfzalGuru on his 6th martyrdom anniversary. Hanged and buried in secrecy in #TiharJail against all norms of justice and humanity to “satisfy the collective conscience of
a state.”